author
Robert Howard Lord
1885–1954
A priest, historian, and diplomat, he helped shape understanding of Polish and East European history in the United States while also serving the Catholic Church in Boston. His career ranged from Harvard classrooms to the Paris Peace Conference, giving his work an unusual mix of scholarship and public service.
1 Audiobook
Some Problems of the Peace Conference
by Charles Homer Haskins, Robert Howard Lord
About the author
Born in Plano, Illinois, on July 20, 1885, he studied at Harvard and pursued further academic work in Europe before returning to teach history at Harvard. He became especially known for his expertise in Poland and Eastern Europe, and his early scholarly work included The Second Partition of Poland, which helped establish his reputation as a serious historian.
His knowledge of the region also drew him into public affairs. During the Paris Peace Conference after World War I, he served on the American delegation and later worked with the Inter-Allied Commission on Poland, bringing academic expertise into international diplomacy at a moment of major political change in Europe.
Later in life, he entered the Catholic priesthood and went on to serve in the Archdiocese of Boston, while continuing his historical writing and research. He died on May 22, 1954, in Massachusetts, remembered as a rare figure who moved between university life, church service, and international politics.